Errani first into French Open second round

PARIS (AFP) –

Italy’s Sara Errani eyes a ball during a Rome Masters semi-final against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka on May 18, 2013. The Italian fifth seed, the 2012 runner-up, was the first player to reach the French Open second round on Sunday, breezing past Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-2.

Italian fifth seed Sara Errani, the 2012 runner-up, was the first player to reach the French Open second round on Sunday, breezing past Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-2.

Errani, beaten by Maria Sharapova in last year’s final, needed just 54 minutes to get past world number 86 Rus, who made the fourth round in 2012, but has not won a match on the main tour this year.

The 26-year-old Errani will face either Japan’s Ayumi Morita or Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva for a place in the last 32.